Southwold’s property market has always been competitive but with the uncertainty in global financial markets meaning that buyers are more cautious than ever before, estate agents find themselves competing on new technological frontiers to engage buyers and generate sales.

The key to the new landscape of the market is the opportunities afforded by social media marketing and smartphone app design, and agents are increasingly turning to Estate Agent Software to ensure they retain their commercial edge.

Software from companies like Vebra is allowing agents to establish and build their web presence and show off their portfolios like never before. Keep your eyes open for developments in this high-potential marketing environment.

Thanks to the efforts of Admiral Play, kids’ playground equipment has entered an exciting new phase, and the days when a kids’ playpark would only have a plain old old slide and swing are at an end.

Admiral Play have created a range of play ideas inspired by their extensive research and development.

The key to creating truly unique and incredibly rewarding play experiences is to focus on sharing, spatial awareness and exercise. This approach means that kids stay fit while learning and having fun, and has led to the development of innovative play devices such as the Jupiter rocking board with its sturdy hand rails and extensively tested spring mechanism.

This kind of thinking is transforming the traditional playpark, entertaining kids while providing them with a wide range of learning and fitness possibilities, encouraging co-ordination and co-operation in ways that have never been seen before. Outdoor Playground Equipment will never be the same again.

Of course, even though learning and fitness are central to a good playpark design, kids need to have fun, otherwise they won’t want to play. With this in mind, Admiral have put special effort into perfecting kids’ favourites, like zip-line, slides and swings.

Superstar fashion model and Southwold resident Twiggy has just unveiled her brand new line of clothing for M&S, but she owes it all to a chance meeting in a Southwold pub.

Twiggy, whose 48 year modelling career began when she was just 14 years old, has become the face of M&S after executive Steve Sharp hired her to design a range of clothes that would bring a touch of her signature catwalk style to the high street.

Twiggy told the Daily Mail: ‘He saw me in the pub in Southwold. I had no make-up on, my hair was scraped back and I was in Wellington boots and an anorak. I must have looked awful. We’d just been for a walk on a beach. I had a woolly hat. It just shows you that for all the worry in the world, if something like that is going to happen, it will happen. He said as soon as he walked in and saw me it just sparked this idea.’

Twiggy is just one of the celebrities who have chosen to make Southwold their home, thanks to its charming seaside atmosphere, so why not check out our Southwold Celebrity Walk in the Enjoy section of our site.

Ask anyone who’s been to Southwold and they’ll tell you that there’s no better place to spend a day walking the unspoilt Suffolk coast and enjoying the traditional seaside delights of fish and chips, strolls along the pier and shaking the sand from your shoes.

The only downside has always been Southwold’s limited parking, which has frustrated many day trippers. As John Perkins, secretary of the Southwold and Reydon Society told the EDP: “We have places in Southwold selling stickers that say ‘I managed to find a car parking space in Southwold’. It has become a joke, but it isn’t a joke if you cant find anywhere to park.

But now, thanks to the Southwold Millennium Foundation, a new plan is afoot which will help solve the town’s parking shortage while also raising money for local charities and funding new projects in the local area.

The 500 seater car park will initially be allowed to open for only 28 days a year, but it is hoped that is it proves successful that this will be extended. Michael Ladd, the chairman of the Southwold Millennium Foundation, told the EDP: “It is not a permanent solution, but something we can use during busy periods.”

“It is going to ease parking at the top part of the town and towards the pier. Our thinking all along is that it will be the first option for people coming into Southwold. It will be ideally located for people who want to park and don’t mind a little bit of a walk into the town – perfect for day trippers.”

For All Other Car Parks in Southwold – Click Here

The Ladies’ Walks, which run along the seafront below Southwold’s North Parade, have been closed for nearly two years, but now plans to restore the footpaths have been revealed by Waveney District Council.

Over 30 yards of the cliff walk has been off-limits since 2010 when cliff slippages forced councillors to declare the walks unsafe. Now NPS Property Consultants has been contracted to provide two alternative plans which will see the paths return to their former glory.

The first option is a traditional cast concrete path with a retaining wall, although some locals are concerned that this option will be vulnerable to further slippages and cracking. The second option is a contemporary steel path which will be raised on posts.

Sue Bowyer, consultant from NPS, told the BBC: “The problem is the soil creep caused by human and rabbit activity and a lack of vegetation due to lower rainfalls. There’ll be a certain amount of re-landscaping with either option.”

The plans are on show daily at Southwold Town Hall from 10:00 until 13:00 GMT.

The RSPB’s Minsmere site has been given a new hide, which replaces the ageing Island Mere hide and will allow more enthusiasts to catch a glimpse of some of the region’s unique bird life.

Senior Site Manager Adam Rowlands told the Beccles and Bungay Journal: “Island Mere is one of the most popular places to watch wildlife at Minsmere, but the old hide was dark, cramped and beginning to show signs of age. With this superb new hide, we’ve improved views across the reedbed and mere, making it even more exciting for our visitors.”

Minsmere is famed for its colony of bitterns, which can be seen feeding in the spring. The new hide has full wheelchair access, allowing disabled visitors to enjoy this unique sight. The new hide was designed and built by top architects the Gilleard Brothers, and forms a key part of the reserve’s Discover Nature project, which will see the site’s visitor facilities undergo a full renovation.

The new look will include a cafe, shop and reception area, and will make this fantastic local resource even more central to East Anglia’s tourism industry.

Following a charity Christmas party that saw youngsters donate dog treats, food and toys to Ardley Rescue Kennels, organisers say that they are thrilled with the amount raised.

Local kids voted to make the Ardley Rescue Kennels the recipient of this year’s donations, and with 60 kids arriving laden with treats for the rescued dogs, it looks like 2012 is off to a great start for the charity run kennel.

Organised by Bure Valley Childminders, the party was a resounding success and it is hoped that this year’s event will be even more successful. Party organiser Caryn Hornby told the EDP: “Bure Park childminders and about 60 children held a Christmas party at Southwold Community Hall.

“A great time was had by all and an enormous amount of dog treats were collected for Ardley Kennels.

“I wanted to say a huge thank you to all the Bure Park childminders, their children and parents for their generosity.”

Visit www.ardleyrescuekennels.co.uk to support this great cause!

People living in Southwold are showing their support for local business by buying gifts from Suffolk based gift company

Everyone’s done it…Your diary of things to do is piling up, and there’s a chance of other things slipping from your memory. One of those things might just have been someone’s birthday, and there’s nothing more embarrassing than having to admit to someone that you’ve forgotten their birthday.

Yet the people of Southwold are no longer worried about that as they are getting their birthday and other special occasion gifts at I4gotyourbirthday, specialising in Next Day Delivery Gifts. The local based website offers Next Day Delivery Birthday Gifts and Cards, so you can recover from your slip of memory!

The local site has become popular in Southwold as it offers something other gift websites don’t. You can choose from a brilliant selection of gift activity vouchers that give the person of your choice amazing days out. There’s everything from Water Sports Experiences to being able to backpack around the world

The Personalized Birthday Cards have been popular too, as you can personalise your card with a special message, before having it quickly sent out. It’s great to see the people of Southwold supporting local business and keeping Birthday boy’s and girl’s happy!

Take advantage of that Southwold sunshine this summer with Solar Power

With energy bills on the rise and all of us feeling the pinch of the global recession, more and more savvy homeowners are turning to solar energy to save money while protecting the environment. With major companies like Suffolk Energy now offering cost-effective ways to convert your home to solar production, it’s no wonder that Solar Panels in Suffolk are rising in popularity.

Until recently, the only option for those who wished to install solar panels was to pay the full cost themselves, which often ran into several thousands of pounds, but with schemes like that offered by Suffolk Energy supporting the Renewable Energy Suffolk scheme, the costs have dwindled as the potential for savings has grown.

One part of the sudden popularity of solar panels has been the technological leaps that have transformed solar power from an inefficient, often unreliable system into a viable money-saving lifeline. With the latest generation of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, homeowners can see savings immediately, as the cells absorb and store solar energy.

So if you’re struggling under bigger and bigger electricity bills, isn’t it time you looked into the benefits that PV solar panels can bring?

After more than 25 years of dedicated service, Jenny Hursell, the Clerk to Southwold Town Council, has been made an MBE in the 2012 New Year’s Honours list in recognition of her long years of service to Southwold’s community.

Ms Hursell began her role as Clerk on 1st October 1985, and retired in June 2011. During her 25 year service she played key roles in the Millennnium Hall project, Reydon Corps of Drums and Southwold Primary School.

She became secretary of Southwold’s Millennium Foundation and continued to be heavily involved in many local charities.

The MBE represents the end of a significant year for Ms Hursell, who became a grandmother twice as well as retiring and publishing her first book, Southwold Street Names.